News – Sheridan Media
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A Sheridan woman will spend the next several years in prison for embezzling money from Beacon Independence Center. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.
At a change of plea hearing in April in Fourth Judicial District Court, Uliana Van Houten pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and nine counts of felony forgery for embezzling and stealing over $143,000 from Beacon Independence Center while she was the chief financial officer for the nonprofit located in Sheridan. The theft charge was the result of Van Houten purchasing a 2025 Honda CR-V with Beacon funds and the nine forgery charges were from checks she was writing to herself that were not approved by Beacon President and CEO Kelly Gooch. The criminal activity occurred between September of 2024 and April of 2025.
When Van Houten pleaded guilty in April, the prosecution agreed to recommend a shorter prison sentence if she paid the full restitution amount of $143,386.64 by the time of sentencing. Van Houten paid the restitution in full and the State, at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, recommended a sentence of 2 to 5 years in prison. District Court Judge Ben Kirven agreed with the State’s recommendation and imposed a 2 to 5 year sentence in a facility to be determined by the Wyoming Department of Corrections.
Van Houten was ordered to pay $2,075 in court costs and assessments and was given two days of credit for time served of presentence confinement. She was remanded to the custody of the Sheridan County Detention Center pending transfer to prison.
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Last modified: July 29, 2026